August 20, 2021: The Power of Worry, Anxiety, and Self-Pity Can Cripple Us to Rely on Our Own Power.

We can experience a deep sense of anxiety and worry to the point of crippling our every move when it comes to our needs in life...Things like food, shelter, health, and finances, to name a few.

As I read in today's "Our Daily Bread" for August 19th, the story of Elijah and the widow who had very little flour and olive oil left to feed herself and her son, she too had great worry where her next meal would come from until Elijah assured her that her flour or oil would not run out until the next rains would come.

You see God had promised this to Elijah who related this to the widow. She proceeded to make bread for Elijah and for her and her son for days to come, because she relied on the promise of God. She did not proceed to rely on her own efforts looking for more flour or oil to feed Elijah. She trusted the promise instead and rested in that promise.

We too need to stop worrying and stop relying on our own efforts to fulfill the emergency needs of our life, beyond the normal things of life we must do to provide for ourselves and/or our family. It is in the "needs of life" that are beyond our control that we must "surrender" and pray to God for His help and watch Him provide the things needed. As stated in Matthew 6: 31-34:

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

PERSONNAL COMMENT:

It is only through our total trust and "absolute surrender" in all things to God will we find true comfort and security in all we do. Let us not put our trust in ourselves and the efforts that we do, but our efforts must be in the promises that God has given us.